2025 Preview: Hartsville Red Foxes

When Hartsville was eliminated from the playoffs in the Lower State final a season go, the immediate thought from the outside was how long it would take the Red Foxes to replace a monster class of influential departing players.   The early signs for Jeff Calabrese's squad point to more of an offseason reload than rebuild.   “The new guys, we still have to teach them, but we're still confident in their abilities,” senior offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1551561' first='Aaden' last='Starnes'] said. “We know they'll get the job done. … We just need to give them the opportunity.”   They're going to get it.   Graduations of players like Da'Marion Coe and Web Barnes and Jackson Chavis and Hakeem Watters and on and on and on opened up snaps for returners to take their next steps. But for the most part, the “newcomers” weren't exactly taking their new places sight unseen.   Safety [player_tooltip player_id='1578290' first='Rod' last='Cranford'] is already ranked for a reason. Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1615056' first='Ford' last='Wallace'] has already had his eye-opening moment to shine, in the playoffs, no less. Tailback [player_tooltip player_id='1672833' first='Trace' last='Hillian'] lit up the Carolinas Coaches Combines in March. Corner Reggie Smith is making a transition from offense.    Package them with established standouts like Starnes, two-way lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1639746' first='Chris' last='Price'] and returning tailback [player_tooltip player_id='1592473' first='Kylif' last='Miller'] and there's a built-in leadership component to usher the Red Foxes right into 2025 with their normally high expectations.    “Everybody knows Hartsville for the winning tradition,” Price said. “Yeah, we may have lost a few key pieces, but we're going to continue to build.”   Starnes said the current Hartsville roster can go as far as it allows itself to go. He mentioned a state championship appearance, and he's probably not out of line in saying as much.    Are there areas of concern? Of course. The Red Foxes will also be replacing a strong offensive lineman in Deric Brown (Fayetteville State) and receiver Casey Hawkins (Indian Wesleyan), among others. But the learning curve for the new starters hasn't been as steep as originally thought.    A good microcosm of that is at quarterback, where Wallace will be charged with leading an offense as a 15-year old this fall. After seeing him do his thing during the spring sessions, there's plenty of faith.    “He's not getting up screaming. If something happens, we're going to figure it out and fix it,” Starnes said. “We're going to try to keep him comfortable. But he's going to have to face pressure. And he has, and he's done really well with it. He can get out of the pocket and he can move.”   STARS SET TO SHINE   [player_tooltip player_id='1592473' first='Kylif' last='Miller'] RB, 2026 - The only reason Miller's 900 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns weren't talked about more was that he had an all-state tailback getting more of the credit last year. But Miller's consistency (7.3 yards per carry) and short-range explosiveness makes him a big-time threat during his senior year. He's going to split carries, of course, but that also mean more receiving targets out of the backfield, too.    [player_tooltip player_id='1639746' first='Chris' last='Price'] DL/OL, 2026 - A high-motor tackle who is simultaneously pretty darn strong, Price had 30 tackles and six tackles for loss last fall while also serving as one of the Red Foxes' more consistent offensive linemen. He can turn any blocking assignment into a pancake while a ball carrier is screaming toward the end zone.    [player_tooltip player_id='1592487' first='Tristian' last='Spann'] WR, 2026 - Spann is a speedster who hit 22.35 miles per hour during the Carolinas Coaches Combines in the spring. He led Hartsville with 25 receptions last season while putting up 445 yards and six touchdowns. He's likely going to be the primary target coming out of the gate and can open up a lot of space downfield.   [player_tooltip player_id='1639740' first='Dorian' last='Mason'] TE, 2026 - Mason doubles as both another blocker for the Red Foxes' rushing attack and as a sure-handed pass catcher. A season ago, he was second on the team with 24 receptions for 332 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He's not quite as fast as Spann but is a bigger body who can navigate traffic with his physicality.    FILM REVIEW   [player_tooltip player_id='1551561' first='Aaden' last='Starnes'] OL, 2026 (pictured) - You don't successfully run the Red Foxes' offense as long as this team has without developing offensive linemen consistently. Starnes, however, also brings some serious size to the ask. He's 6-foot-5 and 265 pounds and has gone from competing for a starting spot to looking like he could dominate in a little under a year. Starnes moves well when he's pulling or getting downfield and starting to understand how much his size and 80.5-inch wingspan does for his ability to leverage defenders.    BIGGEST LOSSES   Hakeem Watters RB - The all-state tailback went over 1,500 yards and 20 touchdowns in each of his junior and senior seasons while sharing the workload out of the backfield.   Da'Marion Coe DB - The four-year starter at safety was among the state's leading tacklers the span of his career. He also was a dangerous punt and kick returner.    UP-AND-COMING POTENTIAL    [player_tooltip player_id='1578290' first='Rod' last='Cranford'] DB, 2027 - Cranford wasn't asked to do as much last year as he will as a junior. Some of that is personnel based - Hartsville did lost five pretty good defenders, after all. The rest of it is he's shown he's more than comfortable taking on even more. He put up just shy of 50 total stop last fall and will jump significantly this time around.    [player_tooltip player_id='1615056' first='Ford' last='Wallace'] QB, 2028 - We've documented what Wallace did in his playoff start last fall. And we've broken down what he looked like at the Combine this spring. There's no other way to say it: He's going to have every opportunity to be a big-time recruit who is bigger than most high school quarterbacks.     Hillian used the spring of his freshman year in high school proving that he's among the fastest sprinters in the state. Mere weeks after hitting 22.53 miles per hour at the Carolinas Coaches Combine, he finished third at the Class 4A Lower State meet with a 10.85-second 100-meter dash.   Nearly all of his snaps in 2024 were on defense. But the designs for him on offense have been spelled out pretty well.

When Hartsville was eliminated from the playoffs in the Lower State final a season go, the immediate thought from the outside was how long it would take the Red Foxes to replace a monster class of influential departing players.